Spy x Family (Volume 1) by Tatsuya Endo, 207 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. VIZ Media, 2020. $10.
Language: PG (11 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
The agent known as Twilight abandoned his true identity to become a spy. For his latest assignment, he must also take on the roles of husband and father to get close to his target. This is just another part to play, just an assignment like any other for Westalis’s greatest spy -- right?
The premise of this secretive family’s story drew me in, and I am ecstatic that it was as good as I wanted it to be. With all three members of the family keeping secrets, I felt engaged and on edge the whole time, wondering who will blow their cover first. Furthermore, Endo has created a good balance of intense action, where you want them to succeed in their missions, with humorous avoidance of their secrets. I don’t know when volume 2 is coming out, but, if it isn’t today, it’s going to be hard to wait for. The violence rating is for gun use, murder, and gore.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

ARC Copy...That was flippin hilarious...what insanity could behold and bathed if you get one "Fake" family with Dad the spy, Mom the Assassin and Daughter the Telepathic? Yes you have the funny moment but also the awww adorable-warm moment when this "Family" acts like a family for seemingly real.

This is a delightfully funny book about a "found family" that is so wrong for each other that it is perfectly right. Secret Agent Twilight is a master of disguise and the top intelligecer of his country who is working 24/7 to prevent war from breaking out between neighboring countries. Nothing phases him, and he has a plan for every eventuality. Then his next big assignment comes in -- he must track down a seditious political schemer and gather proof of his treason. The problem? The target has ensconced himself within the staff of the most prestigious school in the land and only the child students ever get to see him. Twilight must find a family, and fast! Add in a little girl from the worst orphanage possible (who is really an escaped lab experiment with telepathic powers) and a socially awkward office worker (who is really a vicious assassin) and you have the perfect recipe for and instant family.

I thought the story was clever and the art style matched the flow of the plot beautifully. While a small amount of violence is a given because of the characters' chosen lines of work, it did not find it gratuitous or terribly disturbing. It was just silly, sweet, ridiculously fun. Recommended for fans of "Shuriken and Pleats", "SA: Special A" or "Flowers in a Storm"

* Thanks to NetGalley and Viz Publishing for an eARC of this book in return for an honest review. *

*3.5 stars*
Woooo I read my first manga! And I really liked it. The premise sounded really interesting to me which is what got me to pick it up, and I think it definitely delivered on its promises. I'm looking forward to seeing the plot unfold more, but I think we got enough action and set up in this first volume to make it worthwhile. Would recommend if you're interested!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and VIZ Media LLC for providing an e-arc for me!

I. AM. SPEECHLESS. This was spectacular! The art style mixed with the fine use of dialogue made this a very good blend. Favoring to their faux daughter's ability. Am looking forward to reading the rest of the series!

An exceedingly fun and silly read about a spy named Twilight who's secret mission involves him procuring a wife and child. Unbeknownst to him, he accidentally teams up with a child telepath and a woman assassin. This first novel set up what looks to be an interesting series. I can't wait to see what shenanigans are in store in the next volume!

Spy x Family by Tatsuya Endo is such a fun interesting story. I love all the introspections of the 3 main characters. Especially Anya’s. This little girl is the funniest, I love her so much. But Yor is definitely my favourite character.

I can’t wait to read more of this creative story. I haven’t read any manga quite like it plot wise, so I’m happy for the variety. I’m a sucker for time period, action and mystery genres, which is exactly what this manga is.

A Witty, Deadpan Funny, Manga

So, who saw this coming? Not me. This looked like it would be a bit beyond the ordinary, and so worth a look, but I never expected to enjoy it nearly as much as I did.

The setup takes a while, but it's straightforward. Spy needs a fake child and a fake wife in order to complete his mission. He ends up with a little girl who's a telepath and an apparently mild young woman who turns out to also be a stone cold assassin. Talk about a rom-com where the characters meet cute.

There's spy/thriller action, but that is way beside the point. The little girl is impossibly charming and appealing. The wife is complex and conflicted. Our spy hero is as cool as a cucumber and has spy-style to burn. These domestic spy comedy romances must always look good on paper and at pitch sessions, but I can't think of any that have consistently worked. Until this one. Maybe the emphasis on the characters and on banter, repartee and deadpan throwaway lines, rather than on antic situations as such, is what keeps it afloat.

Whatever the recipe is, this was an amusing, sometimes touching, and always entertaining find.

(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

This is the second manga series I've picked up, the first being Jujutsu Kaisen. I enjoyed this, it was really cute. Even though I don't like romance I find myself rooting for the unlikely one budding.

I did not expect a manga about a fictitious family to be so cute. Twilight (a spy) has to find a daughter and a wife for a mission. He ends up finding a 6 (?) year old girl, Anya (a telepath), and a Yor (a assassin) to make up his required family.

I love all the characters. I cannot think of a cuter charter than Anya.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley.

I have not read any manga recently that had me laughing out loud like this one! Twilight (our main character) is a spy for a secret organization, HIs new mission is to get close to a man at an elite private school. In order to do so, he adopts a child to get into school. His new daughter is a telepath and his new fake wife is an assassin. I felt like the setting was so fresh and new, definitley not like anything I've read before. The chapter where they had to go interview at the elite school had me dying laughing out loud! Would love to continue this series.

[ I was sent a copy of this manga on Netgalley in return for an honest review.]

This is such an amazing manga, and I can't recommend it enough! It's the perfect mix of comedy, action and just generally heartwarming scenes. I'm absolutely in love with these characters and I need to know what happens next! 🤩

Anya is such a sweet child, and her expressions honestly made me crack up. I really like seeing her interactions with both Lloyd and Yoru.

The whole concept of this manga was just so interesting!
I'll definitely be checking out all the other volumes ♥️

Rating: 5/5

Thank you to NetGalley and VIZ media for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinion was not affected by the free copy.

This looked like a fun manga, and it absolutely is! It has nice humor as well as action, and three characters who work perfectly together even if they don't know why! I'm also a sucker for found family stories, and this looks like it's gearing up to be one of them. There's not much more I can say about it. It's charming, funny, has interesting characters I can't wait to see evolve, and an intriguing premise that is sure to bring up lots of action-packed moments as well as strange and humorous ones.

I enjoyed this manga so much that I have already pre-ordered a copy for my school library.

The ARC copy looks like it reads from left to right, compared to the right to left format of many manga publications. I am not sure if this will be the case in the final published version but I do like that as I find it easier to read.

The story is brilliant - action packed and full of intrigue. While it starts with one spy it develops very swiftly to include a mind-reading 'daughter' and an assassin 'wife'. The way the characters develop and gel together is really well done and the pace of the plot is good. There is a weird scene involving their attempts to get admission to a school but strange plots are quite common in Manga and somehow feels believable.

I'll be recommending this to my Manga loving pupils.

Thanks to Viz Media and Netgalley for the chance to read this ARC.

This was honestly one of the most enjoyable mangas I have ever read. I know it is only the first volume, but I am already so invested into this series. As I was reading, I was mostly laughing hysterically! The father, an extremely talented spy, is tasked to assemble a fake family in order to complete his newest mission. As he is completely accustomed to working alone and gave up any notion of ever having a family, this proves to be quite a challenge for him. Unknowingly, he manages to get a wife who is an assassin and a daughter who is a telepath. They all have their own reasons to agreeing to this arrangement, but it is extremely comical to watch them try to pass as a normal family. I also want to point out how much I enjoy the art in general. Every reaction, facial expression, etc. is done so wonderfully and just adds to the humor throughout the story. The face Anya makes when she overhears something sketchy is priceless! If you're looking for a fun, light read, please read this manga!

Can a spy story ever be family-friendly? Do young parents who grew up on Spy Kids have anything new they can get into with their children? Spy x Family is pretty much that, although it does have its share of violence. The black and white nature of manga publishing helps tone down the perceived violence in the book. This is a family literally made up for the sake of espionage but somehow they make it work. The story may start out with Twilight, the spy father, and the mom's secret assassin job ups the intrigue, but Anya, the adopted telepathic child, is the true adorable centerpiece of the story. (I received a free copy of Spy x Family vol. 1 from the publisher via NetGalley.)